OUR OPINION: 3 stories to celebrate the Atlantic and our love of it

The Atlantic flows through New Englanders’ veins. We are enthralled with the ocean. We spend our summers lounging on its beaches and our winters on its shores praying it doesn’t destroy our homes. In large part, the Atlantic defines us and how we live. As much as we love the ocean, for too many years we abused it. But a new wave of respectful environmentalism has changed our behavior.

The Patriot Ledger, Quincy, MA

Writer

Posted May. 6, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated May 6, 2013 at 6:07 AM

Posted May. 6, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated May 6, 2013 at 6:07 AM

» Social News

The Atlantic flows through New Englanders’ veins. We are enthralled with the ocean. We spend our summers lounging on its beaches and our winters on its shores praying it doesn’t destroy our homes. In large part, the Atlantic defines us and how we live.

As much as we love the ocean, for too many years we abused it. But a new wave of respectful environmentalism has changed our behavior.

This week we explore three stories that celebrate our ocean and our devotion to it.

No. 1: The North Atlantic right whale

The right whale got its name from Nantucket whalers. Right whales were hunted to near extinction, with only a few dozen reported to have survived the whaling industry.

By the 1990s, scientists estimated that 300 right whales were left. And that’s where their numbers stayed until recently. It’s now estimated close to 500 right whales are in our waters. Efforts to curb ship strikes and remove ghost gear – stranded fishing lines and pots – have boosted their numbers.

A few centuries ago, right whale sightings were common along the South Coast – the Pilgrims’ logs are full of such accounts – but today sightings are a novelty. And perhaps they’re a reward for the efforts humans have made to help rebuild the right whales’ numbers.

Though it would easier for lobstermen to simply cut gear and let it drift throughout the ocean, it has the potential to maim and kill marine mammals – including sea turtles and right whales. That goes against what lobstermen, who make their living from the Atlantic, view as their role as stewards of the ocean.

Fred Dauphinee, who’s been fishing these waters for 40 years, said, “We care about our business and the bottom that we fish.”

No. 3: New England Aquarium’s Animal Care Center, Quincy

Last month, the New England Aquarium announced it was releasing 28 of the 242 sea turtles it helped save over the winter to the waters off North Carolina. It was a massive effort on the part of the aquarium and the Massachusetts Audubon Society, which sent out search-and-rescue teams daily to look for hypothermic turtles.

Page 2 of 2 - Twice, private citizens stumbled upon them on South Shore beaches after the turtles had washed ashore.

The number of sea turtles that needed rescuing this past winter is extraordinary. Also extraordinary is the coordinated effort to save them.

The Quincy facility still has 13 sea turtles it’s rehabilitating and expects to eventually release. We commend all who helped save these graceful creatures.